Love Bug
by J-Beany
Summary: “Think of it like getting bitten...by a bug” Shikaku explains the concept of love in the only way he can think of.


Shikaku was sitting on the ledge of the windowsill, head back and basking in the summers air. Except for a cool breeze that passed every now and again it was the perfect summers day. He was drifting back hands settled on the back of his head when he woken by an unfamiliar sound.

_Stomping._

Now Shikaku was used to the slamming doors, the clashing plates and the general chaos of sound that accompanied his wife around the house, but it was the the mere stomping that bothered him to such a degree that he felt the urge to move.

Simply for that the stomps were merely to quiet to be his wife's, but yet too light to be either Inoichi or Chouza, so presumably there was only one person left to be doing the stomping.

As on guess Shikaku was met with the face of his 8 year old son carrying what was left of an old torn tattered old backpack on his back and sporting the most horrendous scowl on his face known to man.

Now Shikamaru was never known to stomp. He never whined cried or generally misbehave and in the eyes of his father he was a good child.(his wife begged to differ)

So now when Shikamaru stomped in hazardously threw his bag on the floor and plopped beside his father, it did raise a general concern.

For a while the two both sat in an unpleasant silence uneasy to express any emotions shared between them. Shikaku went to open his mouth only to shut it again and mask it as a cough. A while passed and Shikaku felt the need to raise a subject he was about to open his mouth again when his son muttered a simple single word

"_Girls"_

The word hung uneasily in the air for a while Shikaku searched for words, it a matter of purely fact he was too young for the subject of them, too young for the explanations, too young for "The talk".

So simply knowing what to say was not an option. The silence continued for a while until Shikaku finally struggled on saying simply

"Yes...girls"

Their eyes met again causing yet another uneven moment between the two. There was a pause, and then a simple observation.

"Your bag" Shikaku said

Shikamaru grunted and then went on to explain

"They did it"

"Who did it?"

"The girls"

"Oh.." there was silence again

Shikamaru looked up into the sky squinting his eyes in rage presumably or perhaps in the brightness of the sun . In any case Shikaku decided to continue on.

"On purpose" he asked

Shikamaru's eyebrows furrowed as through he was in deep thought for a second

"No" he said upon realisation

Then what Shikaku questioned

"Sasuke" Shikamaru frowned

At this Shikaku lapsed into a smile, of course at this point he knew where this was going now. Even he had heard of Sasuke.

"Why do girls...." Shikamaru frowned and struggled for words

"...act like that" he father finished confidently for him now he understood the subject in hand

Shikamaru nodded and continued on

" They thought this was _His _bag and they went crazy and..."

"It doesn't matter" his father interrupted

Shikamaru looked up questionably at his father for a moment but turned away to ask

"What doesn't matter?"

"Them" his father proclaimed

At this point Shikamaru threw him a very confused look, a look which encouraged his father to explain on.

" You'll soon be like them"

Now Shikamaru's face morphed into a look of true horror that gave his father a reason to chuckle. He went to exclaim but could not think of the words, he looked at this father for reassurance but his father went on only to say

"Wait.....you'll be worse" and chuckled heartily.

Shikamaru could not contain his rage any longer. Those girls were crazy, Mad in in-fact, stupid even over _One _guy. Shikamaru would _NEVER _ go like that over some "Girl". He went to shout but became breathless in the end he only managed to gasp out a single "Why?".

Shikaku was at this point losing interest and started flipping a spare coin.

"Shikamaru...." he said quite grumpily and tired now

"...you know what love is right?, Crushes?..." he saw the confused look on his son's face, "....Liking someone?..."

Shikamaru frowned, Shikaku sighed.

Of course Shikamaru knew of those things, he knew of love, he knew of crushes, he knew about liking someone. But that needless to say it did not mean he understood the process. It was illogic to think in such a way. He did not understand the reason, the motivation, the desire and overall the whole mannerism of the subject.

Sensing an unevenness from his son, Shikaku decided to steadily set out a way to explain this so that his son would understand.

"Think of it like getting bitten...by a bug"he said

Shikamaru looked up

"How?"

"Well, you can't always choose to be bitten or not, sometimes it just happens right"

Shikamaru nodded

"Its kind of like that then"

Shikamaru looked away staring at what could only make sense to him at this point; the clouds.

"I still don't get it..." he said "....you still haven't explained"

Shikaku groaned "How?"

"Why they act like that"

Shikaku sat up straight glancing at his wrist watch, this was clearly the longest conversation he had ever had with his son. He was growing bored ...admittedly but he was intrigued. This was his son who could figure out chemistry equations, balance out algebra and could beat an old man at shogi. Yet he could not for the life of him fathom out women. Shikaku chuckled at this but set forward to continue on.

"Ok, you know when you get bitten, sometimes there's symptoms..." He answered " Black widow for instance..."

"Is immediate death" Shikamaru finished for him

Shikaku nodded

" Name some" Shikamaru asked

"What"

"Symptoms"

"Oh....well..." he said "There's the dizziness for one"

"Dizziness?"

"Yes... dizziness..also.." his father took a deep breath in "nausea, sweating, increased heart rate, delusions, anxiety, fear, loneliness, depression, increased blood pressure, heatstrokes, embarrassment and severe loss of appetite"

Shikamaru gulped

Shikaku chuckled patting his son heartily on the back but managing to rise from the windowsill at the same time so that only his son remained sitting.

"No need to worry" he said "Everybody is different, they have different reactions....You'll soon understand"

He was about to walk away when Shikamaru asked him one more question.

"How do you get rid of it" He asked

Shikaku froze at this and wondered if the analogy was still too complex for his sons young mind, never the less that was a question he _had_ to answer without a doubt.

" You can't "He said, the tone in his voice becoming more deep and serious that it made his own son wince in fear "Shikamaru" he said " If you lose these symptoms, lose this desire, lose the will.."

He paused " It will be the worst thing that has ever happened to you".

Shikamaru knew now that this was serious. This was a topic not to be rifled with, it was something that would eventually happen. Something he could not just "ignore" like he did the rest of the world.

But being lazy he wanted to speed up the process a bit.

"Dad...." he asked uncertainly

Shikaku turned to face him and raised an eyebrow as to say "yes"

"You think I could go get it?.... catch it I mean, this 'bug' and get bitten.."Shikamaru explained

"I just want to get it over and done with you see" he sighed "This is so troublesome...maybe Shino could help me look for bugs I mean..."

Of course Shikamaru never got to finish his sentence as his comment was overruled by a roar of uncontrollable laughter. Apparently his father was just holding it all the time.

After a few minutes his laughter ceased but there was still tears in his eyes.

"Shikamaru..." he said snorting at the very word " Go look all you want.... I doubt you'll catch_ anything_

_..._but you can try." He snorted again " but here's some advise I _Highly _doubt you will ever get bitten with... with he trailed off into laughter between laughter could be heard "_Shino by your side"_

His father chuckled walking away unable to control his laughter. The day that Shikamaru would be bitten by any bug would be a long time to come. Especially he said chuckling to himself it it was one of S_hino's_ bugs that bit him.


End file.
